I Think I Found a Home in Asia

This past Saturday I came home from a pleasant excursion to Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Taiwan was pretty low key. Went and saw the largest building in the world called Taipei 101. Of course it will only be so until 2008, if Dubai finishes off its building that is. Even if something goes amiss there, the building will still be overshadowed by the Freedom Tower in the works for 2009. Honestly, while walking towards the building me and my traveling partner really didn't feel like we were approaching an incredible piece of human structure. I suppose this had something to do with the lack of anything of substantive height in its vicinity, but man did that take the bite out of the experience. Random sky scrappers in New York City seemed taller. Although Taipei 101 does have other claims to fame.... Apparently it also has the fastest elevator in the world! We got up to the ...(totally forgot how high we went) in 37 seconds (they were kind enough to post these facts all over the place;) )! Now this I thought was impressive. ;)

No language problems to note. We seem to get by well with just English. Which was a blessing because neither of us knew a lick of Mandarin or Cantonese.

Macau was beautifully picturesque. As an old Portuguese colony, I felt like I was in Europe again walking around the cobblestone streets. The marble and architecture were quite a sight. You sort of get taken by surprise to find this European jewel right in the middle of east Asia. Mostly famous for its gambling, we therefore couldn't leave without checking one of the major casinos. My partner played several games while I served as his helpful sidekick. Such an awesome day trip.

I loved loved loved LOVED Hong Kong! Imagine Tokyo, but a bit crazier. Wild, eh? The people here are definitely more open with expressing what they feel. You know if you've offended someone or have made them happy. ;) Thus, the constant stares made me well aware that I was probably one of the first few colored women they'd ever seen. A big preparation for my trip to China in December. But, in a nutshell Hong Kong is full of vibrant colors, eye catching ads, tall buildings, old buildings, British history, street vendors, cheap merchandise, and straight forward people rushing here and there for the next train. Transportation was amazing! So cheap and very convenient. The whole place was an eye opening experience. After living in Japan, I thought Asia wasn't the place for me, but visiting Hong Kong completely changed that for me. Although I don't speak any Chinese, the frankness of the people there was immensely refreshing. I'm not saying that rudeness is better, but with me you can't go wrong with saying what you really feel.

You just can't. ;)

A Quarter of a Century

Well it's here folks. The huge milestone that I always daydreamed about as a little kid. It has arrived. I can so distinctly remember how I thought my life would be at the age of 25 when I was 12. Back then, the number seemed like the stars in the sky, astronomical. I thought I would be an "adult" who was able to do and conquer anything that she wanted. I look at the me now and I do see some similarities to that "adult." But the me now realizes that she can't do everything on her own. That true friends are very important and today only proved this all the more.

We all know that last month was a bit of a nightmare. And yet, I hadn't had time to breathe and funnel out all the negative energy. Resulting in everything getting bottled up inside until it found its way to rear its head on a memorable occasion. To say the least, I was a little emotional or some might even say I experienced a little melt down. But I got a phone call from a lovely friend living aboard and that made ALL the difference. She has no idea how her simple call changed the entire evening for me. After speaking with her I was able to look around me with grateful eyes and give thanks for all the people and things around me. The countless people that showed up for the dinner tonight warmed my heart to the core. I don't think anyone there actually realized how much that meant to me. But I will always remember.

For those who were there thank you for helping me to celebrate my quarter century turn. ;) I love you. xxx

Waterfalls, Sweets and Apples Oh My!

Today was SUCH a wonderful day. Usually I spend my Sundays recovering from Saturday's damage ;), but since this past month I have actually been forgoing my former sloth-ness for productive relaxing Sundays. I think I much prefer this new development. ;)

I have taken to going to Sunday services at an amazing Protestant church 10 minutes away from my place. Then heading to a Traditional Japanese Swimming class (Suihuryuu) and then studying for my Japanese Proficiency Test in the evenings. At the end of the day, I feel so relaxed and satisfied with my day.

This weekend was a bit different, but none the less amazing. On Saturday, I went shopping with my Japanese mom to Costco (a considerable event in itself considering the traveling efforts to get there). One only gets 2 chances at the most during the year to go so the trip is something of a treat. I had a lovely time exchanging stories and creating lovely memories with my mom. She's AMAZING! I love spending time with her.

Then Saturday evening I drove up to my closest friend's place and we drove up to a fellow JET's town that was about an hour and 15 minutes north of hers in preparation for our exploration of the north of our prefecture on Sunday. Man it was such an awesome day! We started it off with the bagels I bought from Costco for breakfast and the most delicious shake made by our host. Fantastic! Then headed to a beautiful waterfall. The weather was so nice! Bright and sunny so that the fall colors were at their brightest. Followed by a visit to an old elementary school turned pastry shop where we made our very own pastries! It was a delicious little treat of dough filled with either apples or sweet pumpkin. Had tons of fun making it. Pastry making was then followed by another visit to a smaller but quaint waterfall. Here was the most fun where we spent countless tries trying to take the best pic using the timer on our cameras. HILARIOUS!!! That took forever, but it was so much fun! But what really brought the whole weekend to a nice end was the lovely apple onsen (hot spring) we went to. Apples from nearby farms are used as aesthetic pieces for this onsen. I kid you not, in the boiling hot water of the hot springs, whole apples are left to float around freely. When I got there I was slightly afraid that what I had read about was a farse, but I was quite pleased and excited when I entered the bathing area and found that it was actually true. There were apples floating everywhere! It was crazy! And sooooo ;) to cherish this moment, I did the unthinkable and took some pictures of us girls floating around in the hot spring field with apples. Definitely the unforgetable moment during this whole weekend.

Now, back at home I'm thinking wow, it was such a beautiful day. Thanks girls for such a lovely time!

Confident Torch

What I ran into today and what totally applies to me at my current stage in life. Usually, for the most difficult decisions in my life I would approach them with an assurance that seemed startling in retrospect. But it's just that I felt so at peace with my decisions that I had no doubt they would occur. I was sure that that next step was where I needed to go. So now, for my next adventure after JET, I'll keep the following passage in mind and try to continue on with that confident torch.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7